Don't Marry Him, Beth
by akiraflame-tumblr
Summary: A Tumblr prompt given to me. Beth is about to get married when Daryl barges in and stops her from marrying the wrong guy. Bethyl fluffiness. Too many feels! I think this one-shot killed all of my beta readers from Bethyl Feels when they read it last night.
1. Chapter 1

Beth smoothed her hands down her wedding dress, smoothing out the imaginary wrinkles in the fabric, her hand playing slightly with the beads and crystals that decorated the torso. The dress was a beautiful strapless gown with a heart shaped neckline that clung to her torso before widening out at her hips with a long train running behind her. Nerves swarmed in her stomach and she began pacing her dressing room, the heels of her cowboy boots thumping softly along the ground as she walked and her train twisting and curving around her, nearly tripping her several times. Her hands played with the long strands of blonde hair that were curled and tucked into a side ponytail and falling over her left shoulder, the signature braid that her mother always put in her hair laying on top of the curls. The door to her dressing room opened and Maggie walked in, her hands smoothing the soft yellow fabric of her knee-length bridesmaid's dress as she peeped in to check on her sister.

"Oh, Bethy, you look gorgeous," Maggie whispered as tears filled her eyes. She walked quickly to Beth and hugged her tightly. "Mama would be so proud of you."

"I don't know if I can do it, Maggie…" Beth whispered, her eyes filling with tears as well. "I don't know if I can marry Jimmy."

"Oh, Bethy, everyone gets cold feet at their wedding. You'll walk in there and see him at the end of the aisle and it'll all fall into place." Beth sighed and shook her head slightly. Maggie didn't get it, but Beth couldn't expect her to. Maggie didn't know of the night the younger Greene girl had hung out with the youngest Dixon brother years ago. She didn't know that the two had a close friendship and shared everything with each other. Beth had been dating Jimmy the whole time but Daryl had been there to pick up the pieces of her life more than Jimmy.

Jimmy always put himself first in their relationship. His career, his family, his friends, all before Beth and her family or her friends, or her dreams. And Daryl was always there at the end of the day to listen, to soothe her tears, and to threaten to "straighten him out." But Beth loved Jimmy with every fiber of her being. So when he proposed a year ago, Beth had said yes and she felt that their relationship was better, stronger. He took better care of her, listened and talked to her better, helped her.

Now, here she was, on their wedding day, wondering if she was making the right choice…She wished Daryl was in the room with her to talk her through it. But he wasn't. Jimmy had forbidden his presence at the wedding. Beth felt her eyes burn at the thought and a strange heaviness suck her heart down into her stomach.

"Bethy, are you ready?" Hershel's voice carried through the door before it cracked open and he looked in. His eyes grew moist as he looked at his youngest daughter in her beautiful wedding gown and he swallowed heavily. "I wish your mother were here to see this…"

"She is, daddy, she's watching us from above," Beth whispered as she wrapped her arms around her father's neck and hugged him tightly. "I'm as ready as I can be…" Maggie handed Beth her bouquet and bent to fix her gown's train before kissing her sister and her father on the cheek and leading the way out to the chapel. Maggie went into the chapel first while Beth and Hershel waited around the corner. They waited for the music cue, Beth shifting nervously in her spot.

"Are you wearing your boots with that dress?" Hershel asked, a smile creasing across his face when Beth nodded, but her smile faded. Jimmy would be angry when he saw her wearing her boots under the wedding dress that night. A sick feeling suddenly swept through Beth's stomach at the thought of doing…_that_ with Jimmy later that night. Beth sighed, her brain telling her in numerous ways that she should turn around and leave.

_It's just nerves, Beth. It'll be better when the ceremony is over…_she thought to herself before following her father's lead and walking into the chapel, the doors closing quietly behind them. The end of the aisle came too quickly for Beth and next thing she knew, her hands were in Jimmy's. His smile was bright and loving and Beth tried to return the smile, she tried to feel the elation she knew she should feel but she couldn't. It wasn't there. Beth opened her mouth to tell Jimmy and the Preacher that she couldn't go through with it when the doors flew open and banged against the wall. Everyone's eyes flew to the doorway and Beth's heart stopped.

Daryl stood in the doorway, his dark blue button up shirt crooked with buttons in the wrong holes. His hair was wet and sticking to his forehead, hanging down into his eyes, and he was gasping for breath.

"Beth, stop!" his voice was broken, choppy as he tried to catch his breath.

"Daryl, what the hell?" she asked, pulling her hands from Jimmy and lifting her dress to run down the aisle, concern filling her.

"You can't marry him, Beth." He exclaimed the moment she was near him, her hand brushing his bangs off his forehead. "Please…Don't marry him." Beth's eyes widened when she heard his pleading tone.

"Why not, Daryl?"

"Because I love you…" Beth's heart stopped as she took in his words. The chapel was silent, watching in shock at the scene unfolding in front of them. Beth grabbed Daryl's hands in both of hers, squeazing them lightly before turning and walking down the aisle to back Jimmy. She heard a pained gasp from the man behind her and stopped.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy, I can't marry you. I don't love you." She turned, lifting her dress so that she could run the few feet back to Daryl before jumping into his arms.

"I know why this wedding felt so wrong, Daryl Dixon…" His eyes were bright, blinking furiously to keep his tears down as Beth's rolled down her cheeks, her makeup smearing slightly. "It's because I love you." Daryl carefully lowered Beth back to her feet, his hands gently wiping away her tears before his lips collided with hers fiercely, hungrily. The couple could hear faint cursing from the altar of the church, but neither found a damn to give. When the need to breathe forced them apart, Daryl's lips quirked into a smirk as he took in her appearance.

"God, you're beautiful, Beth Greene…One question," Beth quirked her head in confusion before his smile widened. "Are you wearing your boots with your dress?" Beth laughed and nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck as his tightened around her. "Good, I love it."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I received a review begging for Daryl's POV on the wedding prompt! So here it is! Thank you so much for the review!**

**From **maidenalice: "Any chance you might wanna make a Daryl pov showing him hours before the wedding thinking back to meeting Beth, being friends with her and it developing to something more and never saying nothing. How he felt when he found out that she got engaged and waiting a year and the day of her wedding to say something against it?"

Daryl sighed, his eyes floating to the clock again. It had only been two minutes since he had last looked at the clock. One hour until Beth walked down the aisle and married that arrogant jerk, Jimmy. His blue eyes went back to his whiskey glass and he lifted it to his lips and downed it in one gulp. He could see her now, flawless skin made up beautifully, her slim body wrapped in the gorgeous dress she had dragged him to the store to get his opinion on. Jealousy flared like a wildfire in his stomach and he slammed his glass down on the counter top, shattering it. He cursed as it cut his hand and stood up from his seat to go clean the wound.

Daryl let out a growl as the cut stung under the running water. He never used to bother with cleaning cuts or scrapes. Not until he met and befriended Beth, that is. He could hear her voice in his head as she yelled at him about the risks of infections and he shook his head to try and clear her voice away. There was no doubt in his mind that he had lost her forever after today. Jimmy would never let the two of them spend time together after their wedding.

He thought back to his first meeting with the petite blonde. He honestly wished he could forget that night. Their first meeting had been in the bar and he had been with Merle, who had made it awkward and uncomfortable. The two brothers had been drinking at the bar when Merle's eyes had snagged on the petite blonde as she approached to order a drink.

"_Well, well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes, Sugartits?" Merle said to her as he slapped her ass. _

"_Merle," Daryl growled out in warning as the blonde's eyes widened and she stepped away from them. Merle's eyes looked over Beth before he smirked slightly._

"_Alright, baby brother, you can have her. Not really my type. Too innocent for me," Merle explained before standing and sauntering over to a tall brunette._

"_You should apologize!" The blonde yelled at Merle and Daryl snorted into his drink._

"_Save your breath, babe, he ain't gonna apologize to you. He don't apologize to anybody." Her blue eyes took in his appearance and the fire he could see in those beautiful blue eyes made him want to shrink back. He lowered his gaze to his drink. "'m sorry bout him." The blonde sat beside him and Daryl glanced at her from the corner of his eyes._

"_You don't need to apologize for him. It's not your job to clean up after him." She told him softly before turning to the bartender and ordering a beer. Daryl glared at the blonde as she did so, her gaze meeting his over her beer and shrugging. _

"_Thank you for doing so, though." She told him before sliding off the chair and wandering back to a table in the corner. Merle had come back a short while later with the redhead draped across him and looked around curiously._

"_What, you scare her off or something?" Daryl heaved a sigh and laid money on the bar for his beers before stalking out of the building and climbing onto his bike and leaving._

He hadn't been in the mood for his brother's teasing that night. Thinking back on it, Beth's words had haunted Daryl for a long time after that. They bothered him so much that he had refused to help his brother during one of his many scams to get money, a betrayal that his brother wouldn't let go of from his cell in prison. The hunter released a sigh as he slapped a band-aid on the cut and carefully scooped the shards of glass into the trashcan, his eyes going back to the clock only to notice that five more minutes had passed. This was going to be the slowest and worst day of his life.

His heart leapt into his throat when he heard his cell phone ringing and he hoped that it would read '_Beth Greene_' on the caller id. His mind played a quick conversation of her begging him to come pick her up from the wedding because she realized she couldn't marry Jimmy and he prayed to a God he didn't believe in that that would be the reason for the call he was receiving. His heart dropped when he saw '_Rick Grimes'_ on the screen instead.

"What now, Grimes?" he barked into the phone when he answered it. The sheriff had called him numerous times that morning to check on him and convince him to go to the wedding. "I ain't goin. She don't want me there!"

"We both know that isn't true," Rick spoke calmly through the phone. "We both know she wants you there, at the altar, saying your vows to her."

"You're outta your mind, Rick. If she wanted that, she wouldn't a said yes to _him._" A sigh came through the phone's speaker as Daryl sat back on his barstool and laid his head on the countertop.

"We've been over this, Daryl. She said yes to him because he's all she's known."

"She's known me," Daryl muttered, though he felt that it came out as a whine. "She knows _he's_ an arrogant, self-absorbed jackass. Yet, she's still gonna marry him in…" he looked at the clock, "fifty-one minutes."

"Remind me, how did you become friends?" Daryl pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it in surprise. "Daryl? How did you and Beth become so close?"

"If you're trying to make me feel better about losing her, you're doing a suck-ass job at it, Grimes."

"I'm trying to help you make sense of what I'm saying. Remind me, how did you two become friends?"

"She barged into my life after Merle was arrested, alright?" Daryl snarled into the phone.

"Not good enough. What happened?" Daryl heaved a sigh and looked at one of the only two picture frames he had ever owned. Inside the frame was a picture of him and Beth sitting side-by-side in the back seat of Maggie's car, their knees touching and her hand on his bicep as she looked up at him with her bright smile on her face. Maggie had snapped the picture in the middle of him telling a terrible joke but it was probably the only picture with him in it that he liked. The older Greene's picture showed him looking at Beth, a real smile on his face as he finished the joke, one of his hands in the middle of pushing a loose strand of the blonde's hair behind her ear. The picture made the two friends look like a couple and every time Daryl looked at it, he felt his heart soar.

"Daryl? I swear to god if you hung up on me again I'm going to come over there." Rick threatened and Daryl let out a snort.

"I'm here, and we both know you wouldn't be able to do anything to me even if you wanted to, brother." Daryl paused, his eyes still on the first picture. "She saved my dog's life. That's how we became friends. Lucy had been bit by a snake and I had rushed her to Hershel's clinic where Beth works as a Tech."

"Beth gave me her cell phone number so that I could reach her easily to check on Luce while she stayed at the clinic overnight. I didn't sleep that night, messaging Beth half the night before she called me and talked to me the rest of the night. She would interrupt our conversation every thirty minutes to tell me how 'my girl' was doing. She saved Lucy's life that night." Daryl paused his monologue when he heard his dog let out a bark at the back door and he stood, walking to the door to let 'his girl' into the house. "Somehow, after that all nighter, Beth and I began talking more. I don't know, Rick, what are you wanting out of me?"

Daryl's eyes moved to the second photo frame. That frame held a picture of him and Beth with his coonhound, Lucy, out in the tall grasses around the Greene farm. Luce was lying across their laps, licking Beth's face, while her tail had been frozen as a blur beating against Daryl. It was yet another picture provided by Maggie. The brunette had given both frames and pictures to Daryl for Christmas the year before with a note.

_You need to tell her how you feel, Dixon, or she'll be snatched up._

Little did they know that the asshole, Jimmy, would propose a few days later.

"When did you notice you loved her?"

"I'm not one of your damn criminals, Rick, you can't interrogate me! Especially not about her! Not today." Daryl looked at the clock. Thirty minutes until her wedding started.

"You're running out of time, Dixon. When did you realize you loved her?!" Rick yelled into the phone, making Daryl flinch slightly at the volume of it. Daryl thought back to the first night he realized he cared for Beth as more than a friend and sighed, his heart aching painfully.

"October, a year and a half ago. It was Halloween and the jackass had ditched her…" Daryl closed his eyes tightly, remembering how the knocking on his door sounded and how he had opened the door, pissed off that someone would be knocking on his door at two in the morning. _The sight of her tears and running makeup had made his mouth hang open in mid-tirade. She was soaked and shivering in the torrential rain as she stuttered out that Jimmy had left her at a party after she had gotten mad that he had been flirting with another girl. Daryl had never moved so quickly in his life, pulling the chilled woman into his home and rushing about the place to get her a towel and some of his clothes before pushing her into his bathroom for a hot shower._

_Only after he had closed the bathroom door did he let her words sink in; rage making his blood boil as he stormed to his kitchen to make a pot of soup and two mugs of hot chocolate. He slammed cabinet doors shut and slapped the pot on the stove with a loud clang, mentally cursing the son of a bitch for hurting and abandoning Beth to walk in the cold rain._

_The blonde was quiet when she walked into the kitchen, the sound of her moving one of his barstools the only sign she gave that she had entered the room. Daryl turned around, the two mugs of hot chocolate in his hands and he nearly dropped them at the sight of her in his dark blue button up shirt and boxers. She refused to meet his eyes, her cheeks pink as she attempted to roll up the sleeves of the shirt._

"_The pants you gave me were too big, they wouldn't stay up…so I went in your room and found these…is that okay?" Daryl set the mugs down and reached out, grabbing her arm as he walked closer to her. He nodded mutely, focusing on rolling the sleeve of her left arm up to her wrist before moving to the right sleeve. "I'm sorry," the blonde said sadly and Daryl looked up from her newly uncovered hands in surprise. "I'm always barging in here after fights with Jimmy. You must be sick of hearing me complain."_

"_I'm sick of him," he mouthed off before his brain could catch up and stop it. "You deserve better, Beth." Daryl closed his eyes tightly at his words, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Beth heaved a sigh, her eyes filling with tears._

"_He's not so bad…we just have bad days…"_

"_That happen often, Beth," Daryl countered as he turned back to the soup, turning off the heat and searching for clean bowls and spoons._

"_Yeah…we've been arguing more lately but it's just because Jimmy's trying to land that dream job."_

"_What about your dreams, Beth? I haven't heard you sing in…months!" Daryl's voice rose as his anger roared in his chest._

"_I'll keep working on achieving mine, Daryl! I just want to help Jimmy with his!" Daryl snorted, turning to face the upset blonde._

"_You want to help him with his dreams? That's funny. I recall you saying just a couple of days ago that Jimmy told you to stop taking time out to try writing songs, that he needed you to help him with his stuff instead. He's focused solely on his own stuff, Beth! He doesn't want you to achieve your dreams!" Beth stared at Daryl, her lips in a firm line and her eyes full of anger. Daryl heaved a sigh as he ran his hands through his hair._

"_All I'm sayin' is that you deserve someone who is going to help you achieve your dreams at the same time as their own. Jimmy won't ever do that for ya, Beth…"_

"_And you know someone who will?" she yelled at him._

"_I…" he paused, his eyes meeting hers. The air felt electrified and he could see the anger in Beth's eyes fade into something else. Hope. She wanted him to say it. __**I will. I love you more than that jackass ever will**__, he thought. The words stuck in his throat though and he closed his eyes, knowing he would never be able to say the words. "I made soup…" he continued lamely and instantly the air felt colder. He opened his eyes and saw the disappointment and heartbreak in Beth's blue eyes before she nodded and stood. She walked calmly to his dishwasher and opened it, pulling out two bowls and spoons._

"_I ran it yesterday cuz you forgot," she muttered to him and he nodded, taking the bowls and spoons from her and ladling out soup for the both of them._

"How did you feel when she told you he had proposed a year ago?" Rick's voice cut through his thoughts and Daryl cleared his throat, attempting to dislodge the lump that was forming there.

"…Same way you felt when you caught Lori cheating on you with Shane." It was a low blow and Daryl knew it but he could only take so much reminiscing and thinking about Beth when she was fifteen minutes away from marrying a man who treated her and her hopes and dreams like shit. Beth insisted that things with Jimmy had gotten better after he proposed but Daryl could still see the frustration and disappointment in her blue eyes whenever they hung out, which had been less frequently the closer it got to her wedding day. Jimmy had forbidden them hanging out and even though it killed her inside, Beth had obeyed.

Daryl could remember vividly the last time they had hung out, how she had cried in his arms on his couch the entire time because she didn't want to lose him in her life. He gripped his phone tightly in his hand and he thumped his head on the counter top as if he could beat the pain from that day out of his memories. Losing Beth that day had been the worst day of his life. If a genie appeared and asked him if he would rather relive his abusive childhood again or relive that last day with Beth, he would choose his childhood without hesitation.

"If you're so heartbroken about her being engaged and marrying another man, why won't you stand up and say something to her? Stop it from happening?" Rick asked with pain in his voice. Daryl muttered an apology for bringing up his situation with Lori to the sheriff before grunting in reply to the man's questions.

"She deserves someone better than me."

"And that's Jimmy?" the sheriff asked incredulously.

"Hell nah! But she deserves…." Daryl started.

"Someone who will love her, respect her, support her…none of those things are Jimmy. They're you." Daryl growled and slammed his phone down on the counter, pressing the button to end the call. He glanced back at the clock. Ten minutes until her wedding is supposed to start. Did time always move this slowly? Daryl stood and walked to his bathroom, slamming the door shut and jumping into his shower. The sound of a text message coming to his phone made him jump and his heart leapt back into his throat as he prayed it was Beth again. He quickly rinsed his hair and turned off the water, throwing a towel haphazardly around his waist as he moved quickly to the kitchen and picked up his phone.

_The wedding is running late. I hope you're on your way. She deserves you. – H. Greene_

Daryl stared at his phone, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping. Another ring came from his phone as another text came in and he opened it shakily.

_I told you. Now stop staring at your phone, we can only stall for so long. – Rick_

Daryl stared at the phone for another moment before looking at the clock and realizing it was the time her wedding was supposed to start. He dropped his phone with a clatter and ran to his bedroom, grabbing his jeans and a button up shirt and throwing them on. He looked down as he fumbled with the buttons and almost laughed when he realized he had grabbed the dark blue shirt Beth had worn that night. He had the shirt almost completely buttoned when he realized with a curse that he had missed two buttons in his hurry. He cursed again and decided he'd fix it at the church before slamming his feet into his boots and racing out to his motorcycle.

Daryl couldn't remember the last time he had driven his bike this fast. He ran lights and stop signs and cursed when he saw a police car behind him. The car turned its lights and sirens on before speeding past him, honking their horn. Daryl looked in surprise at the officer driving the vehicle and his shock on increased when he noticed it was the new Deputy. The hunter nodded and tailed the police car all the way to the church, the trip shortened as people pulled over for the speeding police officer. Daryl slammed the kickstand out and ripped his key out of the ignition as soon as he was parked. The deputy gave him a wave before driving off and Daryl nodded his appreciation while thinking that he would have to find some way to repay the sheriff and his deputy for allowing his quick passage through the small town.

The closest Daryl had been able to park had been almost two blocks away from the church, so he ran as fast as his legs would carry him, his heart in his throat as he prayed that he wasn't too late.

He took the stairs up to the church doors two at a time and raced inside, following the signs to the chapel as his lungs burned for oxygen. The doors to the chapel came into sight and he pushed the last of his energy into the last few feet, throwing the doors open the moment he was close enough to them.

Every pair of eyes in the chapel turned to him and he felt a rush of panic for a brief moment as he took in all the people staring at him. He met Beth's surprised gaze and he felt his panic vanish. She was more beautiful then he remembered. The dress fit her better then it had when she had dragged him to the store and showed it to him, modeling it in the hall outside the dressing room.

"Beth, stop!" he yelled out, his voice sounding broken to his own ears as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Daryl, what the hell?" she asked as she pulled her hands from Jimmy's and lifted her dress to make her jog down the aisle to him easier and safer for her. Daryl's eyes raked over her quickly and he fought a smile when he saw her boots on her running feet.

"You can't marry him, Beth…" he exclaimed as soon as she was close to him, her hand brushing his sweaty bangs off his forehead. "Please…don't marry him…"

"Why not, Daryl?" This was it, he realized. He needed to get the words out or he would lose her forever. His throat clenched tightly and he struggled to breathe.

"Because I love you…" Daryl could see the surprise in the blonde's bright blue eyes. The surprise quickly changed to happiness and the hunter could see love pouring through that and he felt his heart soar. Beth's small hands grabbed his and gave them a squeeze. He did it, he had stopped her from marrying the jackass. Daryl felt his chest lighten and he took a deep breath in. His breath caught when Beth let go of his hands and turned, walking back down to Jimmy.

_She's still choosing him over me? _Daryl thought, his heart breaking. He let out a pained gasp and he looked at the floor, regretting ever leaving his house. Beth stopped walking.

"I'm sorry Jimmy, I can't marry you. I don't love you." Daryl looked up at the blonde in surprise. She turned quickly, picking up her dress and running back to the hunter, leaping into his arms. He caught her easily and held her tightly to his body, his eyes burning as relief ran through his body.

"I know why this wedding felt so wrong, Daryl Dixon…" Daryl blinked his eyes as the burning of tears continued but he only cared about the tears he could see rolling down Beth's cheeks, her mascara smearing slightly from them. "It's because I love you." Daryl's heart stopped and he stared at the blonde, searching her eyes for any sign of uncertainty. There was none. He lowered her to her feet and gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

He lowered his head to hers, his hands moving to the back of her head as his lips met hers fiercely, hungrily. He could hear Jimmy letting out a string of curses and felt his pride swell at the thought that he had been able to snatch Beth away from the asshole. Daryl broke the kiss and smirked, his eyes moving over Beth.

"God, you're beautiful, Beth Greene…" he paused. He remembered Beth complaining that Jimmy was against her wearing her boots under her wedding dress and he felt his smirk widen at the knowledge that she had done so anyways. "One question, are you wearing your boots with your dress?" her laughter rang out as she nodded, her arms wrapping around his neck as he tightened his hold on her. Beth's decision to wear her boots regardless of Jimmy's order for her not to proved to Daryl that she had known somewhere in her mind that marrying the arrogant man was a bad idea. "Good, I love it." And he did.


	3. Chapter 3

**I got a prompt requesting that I write this fic in Rick and Hershel's POV as well. I also received one asking: **"would you consider writing more about them? For instance how long they were together until they married? Did they do a church wedding or a small family gathering at the farm? When does she meet Merle that would be interesting, would it be before or after they marry? Would he approve of beth? would daryl care if he didn't? Children, how long until they appear and what insecurity will arise from them? I guess I'm saying is there any way, not all at once, when you have time, come back to this story and add anything you can possibly add to this story about them?" **This request will start in the next chapter.**

So, here ya go! Rick and Hershel's POV! Thanks for the reviews and for the requests, sorry this took so long!

**Chapter Three – Rick and Hershel**

Rick sighed. It was fifty-five minutes until Beth was supposed to marry Jimmy and Daryl was nowhere to be found in the small church. He still wasn't there. The sheriff looked at Hershel with disappointment in his eyes and the older man let out a heavy sigh himself.

"He can't honestly believe that Bethy doesn't want him here, can he?" the older man asked and Rick shrugged.

"He seems to think he is no good for her…" the sheriff replied and Hershel let out a dark chuckle.

"That boy…call him, talk sense into him."

"I've already called him six or seven times today to do so, he's not listening."

"Eighth time is the charm, right?" Glenn's voice cut in from behind the two men. Rick gave a small smile at the Korean's words and he nodded.

"I hope so," he replied before digging out his phone and calling Daryl for the eighth time that day. Glenn and Hershel stepped away to give the sheriff privacy.

"How does Maggie feel about the wedding?" Hershel asked his son-in-law, making the younger man sigh loudly.

"She realizes how rough the relationship with Jimmy is and she talks about how she wishes Daryl would man up and admit how he feels about Beth…but she can also see how in love Beth was with Jimmy and she wants to see that again. I don't understand it really; she's been tossing back and forth on talking to Beth about it. She knows how Daryl feels about her and she can see how they are, but she also sees those good days Beth and Jimmy has." Glenn sighed, making Hershel put his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Maggie wants Bethy to be happy and at the moment, Beth thinks that this wedding is the key to that, so Maggie isn't going to be the one to put the brakes on it. It needs to come from Daryl." The two men watched as Rick became frustrated and angry with the hunter he was talking to. Time ticked on, creeping closer and closer to the time the wedding was supposed to start. Hershel and Glenn began to brainstorm possible scenarios they could use to delay the wedding and as Rick's phone call continued, the two began to create mischief.

Hershel knocked over some of the decorations, making many of the groom's men have to come out of the changing room to help reset things. While they were out of the room, Glenn took the bride's wedding band from where it was laying on the table by the door, leading to a full search for the ring all over the church. People talked in hush tones while searching for it, afraid that Maggie or Beth would somehow hear from inside the changing room they were in. No one wanted to stress the bride or piss of her sister on this "special occasion."

Rick approached the two men as they "searched" for the missing ring and shook his head.

"He got pissed, hung up on me. I don't think he's coming…"

"We'll move slowly. He'll have one more chance," Hershel told them as he dug out his own phone and typed a message into it. Glenn and Rick looked over the older man's shoulder at his text.

_The wedding is running late. I hope you're on your way. She deserves you. – H. Greene_

Rick smiled and typed out a text on his own phone, a knowing smile on his face.

"That'll get him here. If he knows you see the fault in this…thing between Jimmy and Beth and that you want him to be the one she's marrying today instead of Jimmy, he'll come." Rick typed out his responding text and sent it.

_I told you. Now stop staring at your phone, we can only stall for so long. – Rick_

Hershel looked at the sheriff in surprise but his face quickly melted into a frown.

"Are you telling me that I could have told Daryl a year and a half ago that I thought Beth deserved him and that I wanted him as part of the family, and he would have done something to act on it?"

"We both know it wouldn't have worked that quickly with him. Apparently he figured out he loved her at October…"

"I was gonna tell that boy at our Thanksgiving Dinner that I was okay with him breaking Beth and Jimmy up and dating her but I felt that would have put too much discomfort on him and didn't." Hershel let out a frustrated sigh. "I should have done it. Another regret I now have."

"He'll come. I'm going to call my deputy and have him escort Daryl here. He's only got a few minutes left, he's going to be speeding to get here…" Rick walked off again and Hershel felt a smile lift his lips for the first time that day. The older man whistled a tune as he walked down to Beth's changing room and knocked on the door. The sight of his youngest daughter in her wedding dress brought tears to the older Greene's eyes and he felt a surge of pain and longing for Annette to be there.

"I wish your mother were here to see this…" He told Beth. He knew that Annette would have been able to talk Beth out of her relationship with Jimmy. Annette would have gotten Beth and Daryl together back in Thanksgiving. Hershel wished he could have had a small part of Annette's knowledge and personality so that he could have done those things himself but he didn't, so he hadn't. He had failed his wife again.

"She is, Daddy, she's watching us from above," his youngest daughter whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, his arms wrapping around her and returning the gesture. "I'm as ready as I can be…" she told him softly and Hershel fought to keep his smile at bay. He gave Maggie a brief kiss before letting her lead the way out to the chapel.

Beth and Hershel stood outside the chapel doors, waiting for the music to start. The Older Greene looked down at his daughter's feet as she sifted nervously and he caught sight of her boots peeking out from under the gown's hem.

"Are you wearing your boots with that dress?" he asked her, his smile creasing across his wrinkled face as she nodded with a small smile that quickly fell from her face. He knew of the fights she and Jimmy had had about her wanting to wear the boots with her dress. They had fought a lot about the wedding. She wanted it out at the farm, he had wanted it in the church. The father and daughter heard the music start up and they walked into the chapel. Hershel fought to keep his smile in place at the sight of Jimmy at the altar and he felt his concern for Daryl's absence grow.

He glanced briefly at Rick, who nodded with a bright smile on his face. Daryl was on his way. Hershel gave Beth to Jimmy with concern for his daughter in his eyes. She was zoned out. She was pale. Hershel had barely stepped back from the altar before the chapel doors flew open. His eyes met Daryl's panicked eyes for a brief second and he smiled and nodded, showing the younger man that he approved of this occurrence.

He watched from his spot as Beth ran to Daryl and the hunter confessed his love for the blonde Greene daughter.

"Bout damn time," Hershel heard from his other daughter, her husband, Rick, and many of Beth's friends who sat near where he stood. When Beth turned to face Jimmy again, Hershel felt a brief moment of panic. Was she really going to continue with the wedding despite Daryl's confession? The panic disappeared when Beth met his eyes briefly and smiled before turning back to Daryl and leaping into his arms.

"I know why this wedding felt so wrong, Daryl Dixon…It's because I love you." Tears formed in Hershel's eyes at Beth's words and he clapped when the two kissed. He ignored the stares from Jimmy and his family, the cursing and muttering from them as they stormed out of the chapel.

The only thing he cared about was the happiness he could see on his youngest daughter and Daryl's faces. Sure, he had helped pay for most of the wedding and that was money lost, but he could live with that.

He could also live with the fact that he would be helping pay for the next wedding for his youngest daughter. That wedding, he knew, would be the last he would have to pay for.


End file.
